INDIAN  NOTES 
AND  MONOGRAPHS 


VOL.  VII  .  tli^S^M        No.  1 


CERTAIN  ABORIGINAL 

POTTERY   FROM  SOUTHERN 

CALIFORNIA 

BY    GEORGE    G,    HEYE 


NEW   YORK 

MUSEUM   OF   THE   AMERICAN    INDIAN 

HEYE    FOUNDATION 

1919 


the 
university  of 
Connecticut 


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3  T1S3  OOEbOSlt,  E  :g 


%. 


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in  2010  with  funding  from 

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^NDIAN  NOTES 
AND  MONOGRAPHS 


A  SERIES  OF  PUBLICA- 
TIONS RELATING  TO  THE 
AMERICAN    ABORIGINES 


VOL.  VII,  No.  1 


^EW    YORK 

MUSEUM    OF  THE   AMERICAN    INDIAN 

HEYE    FOUNDATION 

1919 


y 


^7r 


This  series  of  Indian  Notes  and 
Monographs  is  devoted  primarily  to 
the  publication  of  the  results  of  studies 
by  members  of  the  staff  of  the  Mu- 
seum of  the  American  Indian,  Heye 
Foundation,  and  is  uniform  with  His- 
panic Notes  and  Monographs,  pub- 
lished by  the  Hispanic  Society  of 
America,  with  which  organization  this 
Museum  is  in  cordial  cooperation. 


CERTAIN  ABORIGINAL 
POTTERY  FROM  SOUTH- 
ERN CALIFORNIA 


BY 

GEORGE  G.  HEYE 


5 

CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction .                              7 

Funeral  Customs 11 

Mortuary  Jars ....                                                     19 

V  essels  other  than  Mortuary 30 

Contents  of  the  Mortuary  Jars 36 

Pottery  Objects 36 

Stone  Objects 38 

Objects  of  Shell ...                                        42 

Objects  of  Bone 43 

Intrusive  Articles 43 

Contents  of  Jars  other  than  Mortuary 45 

Bibliographic  Notes 46 

INDIAN    NOTES 

VII 

IN    SAN    DIEGO  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA 


CERTAIN  ABORIGINAL  POTTERY 
FROM    SOUTHERN    CALIFORNIA 

By  George  G.  Heye 

INTRODUCTION 


HE  earthenware  vessels  here- 
in described  were  either  un- 
covered by  excavation  or  were 
found  in  caves  and  rock- 
shelters  in  San  Diego  county,  southern 
California  (pi.  i).  Mr  Edward  H.  Davis, 
of  Mesa  Grande,  in  the  heart  of  the 
mountains,  fifty-six  miles  northeast  of 
San  Diego,  discovered  some  of  the  recep- 
tacles in  situ,  while  others  were  brought 
to  him  by  both  Dieguefio  and  Luisefio 
Indians  living  on  the  nearby  reservations. 
The  vessels  consist  of  two  classes:  those 
which  had  been  employed  for  mortuary 
purposes,  and  those  used  in  a  strictly 
utilitarian  way,  for  cooking  or  for  storage. 


INDIAN    NOTES 


VII 


CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


or  as  water  containers.  Although  the 
localities  in  which  some  of  the  pottery  was 
found  is  known  to  various  Indians,  who 
spoke  of  having  seen  some  of  the  vessels 
in  caves,  they  seem  to  have  regarded  the 
handling  of  them  with  more  or  less  super- 
stitious dread,  for  it  was  only  after  con- 
tinued urging  during  a  period  of  ten 
years,  that  the  first  piece,  a  mortuary 
olla  found  in  a  cave,  was  brought  in  by 
one  of  them. 

Regarding  the  mortuary  oUas  of  the 
Dieguefios,  Miss  Constance  Goddard 
Dubois,^  writing  twelve  years  ago,  says: 

"For  years  I  have  pursued  the  search  for  a 
mortuary  olla  among  the  Diegueno  Indians  of 
southern  California,  and,  like  a  will-o'-the-wisp, 
it  has  allured  only  to  escape  me.  The  Indians 
all  knew  of  these  burial  jars,  and  the  whereabouts 
of  some  were  known  to  the  initiated;  but  to 
meddle  with  them  was  sacrilege. 

"An  educated  Indian  girl  who  shared  the 
feelings  of  her  people  wept  when  it  was  suggested 
that  her  grandfather  should  secure  one  for  my 
benefit.  It  was  represented  to  her  that  it  was 
to  be  used  for  the  benefit  of  science  and  not  to 
satisfy  an  idle  curiosity;  that  those  thus  buried 
were  so  long  forgotten  that  it  was  not  like  dis- 


VII 


INDIAN    NOTES 


ter"^ 


I    5 


>  > 

uj     Q 


111  ^ 

I 

I-  2 

CO  ^ 


INTRODUCTION 


turbing  the  remembered  dead.  But  the  casuistry 
availed  little,  and  she  was  happy  when  the  search 
proved  futile. 

"At  last,  through  the  efforts  of  a  friend,  an 
aged  Indian  was  induced  to  disclose  the  secret 
locality  where  the  burial  had  been  made;  and 
guided  by  his  directions  another  old  Indian 
undertook  the  search.  Not  daring  to  pursue 
the  adventure  alone,  he  induced  a  friend  to 
accompany  him;  the  latter,  caring  little  for  the 
old  religion,  had  in  fact  been  for  years  enlisted  in 
the  quest  for  the  mortuary  olla,  but  hitherto 
in  vain. 

"Following  the  directions  of  their  guide,  the 
two  reached  the  distant  canon  in  the  mountains, 
searched  among  the  fallen  granite  rocks,  most 
often  the  spot  selected  for  a  cache,  and  digging 
here  they  found  two  burial  jars,  or  ollas,  intact 
and  perfect." 

Miss  Dubois^  also  wrote: 

"The  former  [the  Dieguefios]  used  pottery  not 
only  for  domestic  purposes,  but  in  the  form  of 
burial  vessels,  ollas,  for  the  preservation  of  the 
ashes  of  the  dead.  After  the  body  was  burned, 
the  ashes  and  bones  were  collected  and  deposited 
in  the  pottery  receptacle  or  olla,  and  carefully 
buried  in  some  secret  place.  The  whereabouts 
of  some  of  the  burial  ollas  are  still  known  to  the 
initiated.  Others  have  been  discovered  by 
chance    by    tourists    and    collectors.     With    the 


AND    MONOGRAPHS 


10 


CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


Indians,  to  betray  the  secret  would  be  to  profane 
the  most  sacred  things  of  their  rehgion.  For- 
tunately two  fine  specimens  of  these  rare  objects 
have  lately  been  secured.  They  were  found 
buried  among  fallen  granite  rocks  in  a  distant 
canon  of  the  mountains  near  a  deserted  Indian 
village.  They  contained  bits  of  burned  bones, 
charcoal,  arrow-heads,  etc. 

"Next  in  importance  were  the  large  storage 
pots  or  ollas  for  the  seed  supply  of  the  family. 
The  seeds,  carefully  harvested,  were  deposited 
in  these  receptacles,  which  were  hidden  among 
heaps  of  rocks  in  cailons  or  on  almost  inaccessible 
mountain  sides,  discouraging  discovery,  but 
allowing  the  members  of  the  household  to  resort 
to  this  granary  in  time  of  need." 

It  was  not  until  1918,  or  twenty  years 
after  the  first  vessel  was  obtained  by  Mr 
Davis,  that  a  Diegueiio  Indian  was 
persuaded  to  reveal  the  site  of  a  cemetery 
(pi.  11),  which,  on  excavation,  yielded 
twenty-one  mortuary  receptacles. 

As  to  the  second  class  of  vessels,  con- 
sisting of  large  storage  jars  for  seeds,  as 
well  as  water  and  cooking  jars,  it  is 
doubtful  if  any  of  them  are  of  ancient 
origin;  indeed  one  specimen  now  in  the 
collection  of  the  Museum  of  the  American 


VII 


INDIAN    NOTES 


-TEZ- 


m  ^ 


FUNERAL    CUSTOMS 

11 

Indian,  Heye  Foundation,  was  made  by 
the     grandmother     of     the     middle-aged 
Indian  from  whom  it  was  obtained. 

We  wish   to   express   our  appreciation 
not  only  of  the  perseverance  and  enthu- 
siasm   manifested    by    Mr    Davis,    which 
made  possible  the  collection   herein  de- 
scribed, but  also  of  the  valued  information 
which    he    has    generously    furnished    in 
regard    to    the    objects    composing    the 
collection. 

FUNERAL    CUSTOMS 

The  custom  of  cremation  was  practised 
by  both  the  Luisenos  and  the  Dieguefios. 
The    mortuary    rites    of    the    former    are 
described  by  Father  Geronimo  Boscana, 
who  had  long  been  a  missionary  at  San 
Juan  Capistrano  and  who  died  in  1831.^ 
He  wrote: 

"When  the  patient  died  under  the  attendance 
of  these  physicians,  then  preparations  were  made 
for  his   sepulture,   or  the   burning   of  his   body, 
according  to  a  custom  observed   here,   in  com- 
memoration of  the  last  ceremonies  rendered  to 
the    remains    of    their    grand    chieftain    Ouiot. 
They  did  not  put  into  immediate  execution  the 

AND    MONOGRAPHS 

1 

12 


CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


solemn  duties  and  funeral  performances,  but 
suffered  several  hours  to  elapse,  that  they  might 
be  assured  of  his  death.  In  the  meantime  the 
pile  was  prepared,  and  the  person  summoned, 
who  officiated  on  such  occasions  in  applying  the 
torch;  for  it  was  usual,  in  this  neighborhood,  to 
employ  certain  characters,  who  made  their 
livelihood  by  it,  and  who,  generally,  were  con- 
fined to  particular  families.  As  soon  as  every- 
thing was  prepared,  and  the  time  had  arrived 
for  the  ceremony,  they  bore  the  corpse  to  the 
place  of  sacrifice,  where  it  was  laid  upon  the 
faggots.  Then  the  friends  of  the  deceased  re- 
tired, and  the  burner  (so  called)  set  fire  to  the 
pile,  and  remained  near  the  spot  until  all  was 
consumed  to  ashes.  The  ceremony  being  con- 
cluded on  his  part,  he  was  paid  for  his  service, 
and  withdrew.  Everything  of  use,  belonging  to 
the  deceased,  such  as  his  bow  and  arrows, 
feathers,  beads,  skins,  &c.  were  consumed  with 
him,  whilst  his  relatives  and  friends  added,  also, 
other  articles  of  value  to  the  sacrifice,  but  during 
the  scene  of  burning  they  did  not  observe  any 
particular  ceremony,  nor  had  they  any;  for  as 
soon  as  the  burner  gave  notice  that  he  had 
performed  his  task,  they  all  retired  outside  of 
the  town  to  mourn  the  decease  of  their  friend." 

It  will  be  observed  that  no  mention  is 
made  of  urn  burial,  but  this  may  be 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  after  the 


VII 


INDIAN    NOTES 


HEYE CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


BLACK  MOUNTAIN,  SHOWING  ROCKS   (IN   LINE  WITH   THE  GAP) 
WHERE  ONE  OF  THE   DEPOSITS  WAS   FOUND 

(Photo  by  Thea  Keye) 


i 


FUNERAL    CUSTOMS 

13 

arrival  of  the  missionaries,  cremation  was 
disapproved  by  them,  and  it  is  possible 
that    Father    Boscana    did    not    wish    to 
admit    that    the    ashes    had    been    taken 
care  of  in  this   manner,  as  it  would  have 
set  a  bad  example  for  future  generations. 
Nevertheless,  cremation   has   been    prac- 
tised within  the  memory  of  some  of  the 
oldest  of  these  Indians,  although  secretly, 
owing  to    the    ban   early  placed  on    the 
custom. 

Inquiry    among    some     of     the     older 
Diegueno    Indians   of   the    Mesa   Grande 
and   Santa   Ysabel   reservations   brought 
forth  the  assertion  that  in  former  years 
the  cremated  dead  were  placed  in  jars. 
The   following   facts   concerning   the   an- 
cient   burial    ceremonies    were    obtained 
from  Antonio  Cueva  (pi.  Ii),  a  full-blood 
Diegueno  of  the   Mesa   Grande  reserva- 
tion, who  derived  them  from  his  grand- 
parents, who  in  turn  had  been  informed 
of  the  manner  in  which  cremation   had 
been  practised  before  the  customs  of  their 
forefathers  became   modified   by  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Spanish  missionaries. 

AND    MONOGRAPHS 

1 

14 

CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 

If  a  death  was  imminent,  a  pit  about 
three   feet   deep   was   dug   with    a   stick 
and  the  bare  hands,  in  expectation  of  the 
event.      Immediately     after     the     death, 
brush  and   logs  were   piled   four   or   five 
feet  high  over  the  pit,  and  shortly  after- 
ward, often  within  an  hour  of  the  death, 
the    body   was    brought   and    placed    on 
top  of  the  heap,  which  was  then  set  afire. 
The  nearest  relatives  and  friends  of  the 
departed  mourned  and  wailed  in  a  nearby 
house,    but   did   not  attend   the   burning 
of  the  remains.     When  the  flames  reached 
the   body,    the   muscles   contracted,    and 
often   the   corpse   writhed   and   arose   as 
if  alive.     After  the  pyre  had  burned  down 
and    the    remains    were    practically    con- 
sumed, it  is  related  that  the  heart  always 
remained,  and  one  of  the  chief  duties  of 
the  attendant  was  to  turn  the  heart  con- 
stantly  with    a    stick    until    it    also    was 
ultimately  consumed.     The  attendant  al- 
ways kept  to  the  windward  of  the  smoke 
and   gases,    for   it   was   believed   that   to 
inhale  them  would   cause  severe  illness, 
if    not    death.     As    soon    as    the    bones 

VII 

INDIAN    NOTES 

FUNERAL    CUSTOMS 

15 

became    sufficiently    cooled,    they    were 
broken  into  small  pieces  with  a  stone  in 
the  hands  of  an  old  female  relative,   if 
there  were  one,   otherwise  this  function 
was    performed    by    a    younger   woman. 
The  calcined  bones  and  the  ashes  were 
then  gathered  and  placed  in  a  jar.     These 
receptacles     were     probably     not     made 
especially  for  mortuary  use,  but  had  been 
employed  for  domestic  purposes.     After 
the  incinerated   remains   had   thus   been 
deposited    in    the    vessel,    a    cover    was 
usually  placed  over  the  top  to  protect  the 
contents   from   earth  and   drifting  sand. 
In  one  or  two  cases  this  cover  was  a  small 
pottery    bowl    (fig.    3),    but    generally    it 
consisted   merely   of  a   potsherd,   and  in 
others  a  haliotis  shell.     When  the  body 
of  a  man  was  cremated,  his  bows,  arrows, 
and     other     personal     belongings     were 
burned  with  him,  while  in  the  case  of  a 
woman  or  a  child,  the  personal  ornaments 
or  the  toys,  as  the  case  might  be,  were 
similarly   sacrificed.     The    mortuary   jar 
was  placed  in  the  pit  referred  to,  then 
filled   with    ashes    and    earth  (figs,  i,  3). 

AND    MONOGRAPHS 

1 

16 


CALIFORXIA    POTTERY 


The  metate  of  the  deceased  was  broken 
in  two  and  the  pieces  placed  one  above 

the  other  over  the    burial   (fig.  2).     The 
"spirit"  of  a  grinding  stone  thus  ''killed" 


Fig.  I. — Mortuan*  jars  uncovered  in  the  cemetery. 

was  supposed  to  be  released  and  to  depart 
with  the  owner  of  the  object.  The  rela- 
tions of  the  deceased  were  called  together, 
and  about  three  da3's  later  an  all-night 
ceremony-   was   performed,   the   relations 


VII 


I  X  D  I  A  X    X  0  T  E  S 


HEYE CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


PAINTED  JARS 
Height:  a,  4H  in.;  b,  4Ji  in.;  c.  5  in.;  d,  14H  in.;  e,  11  Ji 


FUNERAL    CUSTOMS 


17 


providing  a  feast.  A  chief  sang  through- 
out the  ceremony,  his  songs  detailing  the 
genesis  of  the  tribe  and  closing  with  a 
recital  of  the  death  ceremony  transmitted 

by  the  culture  hero.     When  the  singing 


Fig.  2. — Inverted  mortuary  jar,   with    broken   metate 
placed  as  a  marker. 

ceased,  all  articles  that  had  not  belonged 
to  the  departed  were  removed  from  the 
house,  while  those  that  had  been  his 
property  were  piled  within  the  brush  hut, 
which,  with  its  contents,  was  then  burned 


AND    MONOGRAPHS 


18 


CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


to  the  ground.  At  daybreak  the  cere- 
mony was  finished,  and  the  nearest  female 
relatives  cut  their  hair  and  painted  their 
faces  black  with  mescal  juice,  while  the 


^        ^    ' 

^    ^-^ 


t<'- 


M 


Fig.  3. — Mortuary  jar  covered  with  an  inverted  bowl. 

men  colored  their  faces  with  red  hematite. 
The  hair  thus  shorn  by  the  women  was 
saved   for   the    Image    Ceremony,    which 


VII 


INDIAN    NOTES 


HEYE CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


JAR 

(Height    33H  in.) 


MORTUARY    JARS 

19 

was    performed    a    year    later. ^     In    the 
course  of  time  the  wind   blew  the  sand 
about  and  the  charred  fragments  of  the 
brush-pile  became  visible  on  the  surface. 

MORTUARY    JARS 

A  Diegueno  had  been  told  by  an  aged 
aunt    that,    in    her    childhood,    she    had 
learned    of    a    cemetery    where    "a    long 
time  back  many  of  her  people  had  been 
burned."     The   locality   was -said   to   be 
near  the  headwaters  of  Masons  creek,  in 
Vallecitos  valley,  between  Little  Laguna 
mountain    and    Garnet    mountain    (indi- 
cated on  the  map,  pi.  i,  by  a  concentric 
circle).     After   some   search    the    Indian 
found  a  small  area  on  which  were  frag- 
ments of  charcoal  and  pieces  of  broken 
metates,  suggesting  an  Indian   cemetery 
(pi.  ii).     After  much  persuasion,  the  site 
was  disclosed,  and  on  excavation  yielded 
twenty-one  mortuary  jars,  all  within  an 
area   of   about   twenty   feet  square,   and 
at  a  maximum  depth  of  about  two  feet, 
but  reaching  to  the  surface  (pi.  ill).     All 
of  the  jars  contained  a  greater  or  lesser 

AND    MONOGRAPHS 

1 

20 

CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 

quantity  of  calcined   human  bones,   and 
in  the  main  deposited  two  or  three  feet 
apart,    but   a   few   were   in   contact   and 
most  of  them  were  about  twelve  inches 
below  the  surface.     The  majority  of  the 
vessels  were  upright,  but  several  lay  on 
their  sides,  while  one  was  inverted,  with 
the-  calcined   bones   beneath    (figs.    1-3). 
The  metates  on  the  surface  were  generally 
broken  in  two  almost  equal  pieces.     Two 
of   these   implements    give   indication   of 
having  been   subjected   to   the   fire   that 
consumed  the  bodies  and  were  broken  in 
several  pieces,  while  three  or  four  others 
were  found  a  few  inches  below  the  surface, 
the  sand  evidently    having  drifted   over 
them.     Only    one    of    the    metates    was 
found   intact.     All   of   these   implements 
are    of   the   thin,    light   variety,    such   as 
might    readily    be    carried    about,    hence 
unlike   the   heavy   household   objects   of 
this  kind.     Altogether  at  this  cemetery 
sixteen  metates  were  found. 

The  jars  were  all  surrounded  with  char- 
coal fragments,  thus  supporting  the  ac- 
count   of    the    custom,    given    above,    of 

VII 

1 

INDIAN    NOTES 

HEYE CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


JAR 

(Height    26J^  in.) 


THE    LOCALITY 

21 

burying  the  mortuary  receptacles  in  the 
original  fire-pits. 

The  entire  collection  of  earthenware 
vessels  herein  referred  to  numbers  four 
hundred  and  sixty-four  specimens,  of 
which  forty-two  were  found  in  caves  or 
under  rocks,  while  the  remainder  were 
uncovered  by  excavation.  Of  the  entire 
number,  eighty-two  contained  cremated 
human  remains,  and  of  these  only  three 
were  recovered  from  caves. 

The  localities  in  which  the  pottery  was 
found  are  indicated  on  the  map  (pi.  i), 
those  in  which  the  mortuary  jars  were 
found  being  represented  by  a  cross,  and 
the  others  by  a  circle.  The  exact  sites 
at  which  ninety-eight  of  the  vessels  were 
found  is  unknown,  because  the  Indians 
who  brought  them  in  refused  to  divulge 
the  localities,  stating  only  that  they  came 
"from  the  desert,"  which  to  them  means 
the  area  east  of  Volcan  and  Laguna  moun- 
tains. Most  of  the  territory  in  which  the 
jars  were  discovered  is  mountainous,  with 
outcroppings  of  granite,  under  which  the 
ollas   were   sometimes   deposited.     Plate 

AND    MONOGRAPHS 

1 

22 

CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 

IV  shows  such  a  rock-shelter,  on  the 
eastern  side  of  Black  mountain,  from 
which  two  of  the  jars  were  recovered. 

All  the  mortuary  jars  are  of  coarse, 
reddish-brown  ware,  similar  to  the  pot- 
tery still  made  by  the  Mission  Indians, 
as  shown  by  the  illustration  (pi.  v)  of  a 
Diegueno  mother  and  her  daughter,  of 
Cuyapaipe  (about  five  miles  from  the  site 
of  the  cemetery  above  described),  with 
some  of  their  earthenware  product. 

Among  the  articles  found  with  the 
calcined  bones  are  pieces  of  iron  and 
brass,  china,  and  glass  beads.  This  oc- 
currence of  articles  of  civilization,  in 
conjunction  with  the  fact  that  no  pottery 
has  been  found  on  the  adjacent  coast  or 
on  the  Channel  islands,  where  vessels  of 
steatite  and  other  stone  were  in  use,  and 
also  with  the  knowledge  that  the  neigh- 
boring tribes  have  always  used  basketry 
receptacles  to  a  large  extent,  compels  the 
conclusion  that  the  ceramic  art  among  the 
Dieguefios  is  not  an  ancient  one.  Refer- 
ring to  the  age  of  one  of  the  Dieguefio 
mortuary  jars  described  by  her  in  1907, 

VII 

INDIAN    NOTES 

HEYE CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


JAR 
(Height  29^  in.) 


MORTUARY    JARS 

23 

Miss  Dubois^  says  that  it  "is  evidently 
not  prehistoric,  but  is  probably  a  hundred 
or    a    hundred    and    twenty    years    old." 
On  the  other  hand,  Sparkman,^  writing  of 
the  earthenware  of  the  tribes  of  southern 
California,  says: 

"Some  doubt  has  been  expressed  as  to  whether 
the   Indians   of   Southern   CaHfornia  understood 
the  art  of  making  pottery  before  the  arrival  of 
the  friars.     It  does  not  seem  that  there  is  any 
doubt  that  at  least  some  of  them  did.     Costanso's 
report  of  the  expedition  of  1769  speaks,  though 
somewhat  vaguely,  of  the  Indians  of  San  Diego  as 
using    pottery.     The    Luisenos    themselves    say 
positively  that  they  were  pottery  makers." 

The    mortuary    jars    under    discussion 
are  characterized  by  two  general  types: 
those    with   small,    narrow   mouths,    and 
those    with    fairly    wide    mouths.      Both 
types    have    globular    or    ovate    bodies. 
These    vessels    correspond    in    form    and 
size  with  many  jars,  found  either  under- 
ground  or   in   caves,    that   contained   no 
human  remains  and  which  were  used  as 
water  containers  or  as  cooking  utensils, 
the  latter  indicated   by  their  blackened 
surfaces.     In    fact,    similar    pottery    re- 

AND    MONOGRAPHS 

1 

24 


CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


ceptacles  are  in  use  today,   hence  there 
is  every  evidence  that  no  attempt  was 


a  b  c 

Fig.  4- — Height:  a,  6%  in.';  h,  9M  in-;  c,  7j^  in. 


a  b 

Fig.  s. — Height:  a,  15^  in.;  b,  123^  in. 

made  to  manufacture  a  special  type  for 
mortuary  purposes. 


VII 


INDIAN    NOTES 


HEYE ^CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


PIPES 

(Length:  a,  2%  in.;  b,  3  in.;  c,  2%  in.) 


MORTUARY    JARS 


25 


The  mortuary  jars  characterized  by 
their  small  necks  vary  in  size  from  6^  in. 
(fig.  4,  a)  to  15^  in.  in  height  (fig.  5,  a), 
and  before  employed  for  funerary  pur- 
poses were  probably  used  as  water-  ollas. 
Other  examples,  varying  slightly  as  to 
form  and  size,  but  of  the  same  class,  are 


Fig.  6. — Height:  a,  11  in.;  b,  123/3  in. 

illustrated  in  figs.  4,  &;  5,  b,  and  6.  The 
two  specimens  exhibited  in  fig.  7  were 
perforated  in  two  places  near  the  rim 
before  firing.  As  a  considerable  number 
of  the  recent  water  jars  are  also  provided 
with    means    of    attaching    a    thong    for 


AND    MONOGRAPHS 


26 

CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 

hanging  them  while  in   use  for  cooking 
purposes,  we  have  further  evidence  that 
these  utensils  were  primarily  utilitarian. 

The    wide-mouth    jars,    illustrated    in 
figs.  8,  9,  and  lo,  a,  do  not  differ  in  color 
or  in  ware  from  those  with  narrow  necks. 

a                                                      h 
Fig.  7- — Height:  a,  6}4  in.;  b,  7^  iv. 

Of  this  form. there  are  nineteen,  or  about 
a  fourth  of  the  total  number  of  mortuary 
jars    in    the    collection    from    southern 
California. 

When  found,  nearly  all  of  the  mortuary 
vessels   were   covered,    most   often   by   a 
potsherd  (pi.  xii,  a),  sometimes  by  either 

VII 

INDIAN    NOTES 

MORTUARY    JARS 


27 


a  whole  or  a  part  of  a  haliotis  shell,  and 
in    one    instance    by    an    inverted    bowl 


a  h  c 

Fig.  8. — Height:  a,  •]%  in.;  h,  gY^  in.;  c,  6}4  in. 

(figs.   3  and   ii,   a).     This  was  done,   of 
course,  in  order  to  keep  the  sand  from 


Fig.  9. — Height:  a,  8}4  in.;  b,  loj^  in.;  c,  7M  in 

drifting  into  the  vessels,  which  could  be 
more  readily  accomplished  in  the  case  of 


AND    MONOGRAPHS 


28 


CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


a  small-mouthed  oUa;    hence  we  see  the 
reason  for  the  use  of  this  form  of  vessels 


a  b 

Fig.  10. — Height:  a,  lo^  in.;  b,  8  in. 

in  such  a  large  majority  of  cases,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  it  must  have  been  more 


Fig.  II. — ^Width:  a,  8%  in.;  b,  loM  in- 

difficult  to  place  the  cremated  remains  in 
them. 


VII 


INDIAN    NOTES 


MORTUARY    JARS 

29 

Of  all   the  vessels   used   for   mortuary 
purposes,  only  four,  two  from  each  type, 
exhibit  an  attempt  at  painted  decoration. 

Fig.  12. — Height  is  in. 

In  these  cases  the  ornamentation  consists 
of  a  deep  red  paint  crudely  applied  on  ware 
of  light  reddish  brown  (pi.  vi ,  a,  c,  d,  e). 

AND    MONOGRAPHS 

1 

30 

CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 

VESSELS    OTHER    THAN    MORTUARY 

Of   the   remaining   three   hundred   and 
eighty-two  vessels,  thirty-nine  were  found 

Fig.  13- — Height  25^  in. 

in  caves  or  rock-shelters,  while  the  others 
were    wholly    or    partly    unearthed    near 

VII 

INDIAN    NOTES 

o      ^ 

O        cc 

2    r 


XOX-MORTUARY    JARS 


31 


these  caches.  Many  of  them  may  have 
been  used  as  mortuary  receptacles,  but, 
If  such  were  the  case,  owing  to  the  winds 


f^ 


a  b 

Fig.  14. — Height;  a,  12 J^  in.;  b,  4  in. 

and    the    shifting    sands    no    evidence    of 
their  former  contents  remained. 

The  large  non-mortuary  jars  were  used 
for  the  storage  of  seeds,  and  are  of  the 
usual  globular  or  ovate  forms,  with  small 
necks,  and  vary  in  size  from  15  in.  high 


AND    MONOGRAPHS 


32 


CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


(fig.  12)  to  333^  in.  (pi.  vii).  Other 
examples  are  illustrated  in  pi.  viii  and 
IX,  and  fig,  13.  Two  specimens  (fig.  14) 
are  each  provided  with  two  small  necks. 
Jars  with  wider  mouths,  similar  to 
those  used  for  burial  purposes,  were  also 
found.      Fig.  9,  c,  exhibits  one  of  these, 


Fig.  15- — Height:  a,  13^  in.;  h,  145^  in. 

with  a  deposit  of  charred  material  on  the 
outside,  showing  its  use  as  a  cooking 
utensil.  A  more  globular  form,  likewise 
having  a  wide  mouth,  is  shown  in  figs. 
15  and  16.  Most  of  the  vessels  of  this 
kind  are  small,  the  largest  one  (fig.  15,  h) 
being  14^  in.  in  height.     One  of  them 


VII 


INDIAN    NOTES 


•*> 


^ 


^^^ 


Z         M 


ui 
o 

i  s 

Q.         to 


NON-MORTUARY    JARS 

33 

was    provided    with    two    vertical    loop 
handles  under  the  rim,  but  one  of  these, 
on  the  side  directly  opposite  the  other, 
has  long  been  broken  off  (fig.  lo,  b). 

Fig.  i6. — Height  13H  in. 

Bowls  are  unusual   in   these  deposits, 
only  four  having  been  found  (figs.  Ii,  &, 
17,  18),  all  of  them  in  caves.     These  were 
not  used  as  covers  to  the  jars. 

AND    MONOGRAPHS 

1 

34 


CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


Only  two  non-mortuary  jars,   both  of 
the   wide-mouth    type,    indicate   any   at- 


FiG.  17. — Width  16  in. 


tempt  at  painted  decoration.     These  are 
shown  in  pi.   vi,   h,   with  faint,   vertical. 


Fig.  18. — Height:  a,  g? 


dark-red  lines,  and  in  fig.  19,  which  bears 
a  crude,  indistinct  design  in  white.  Of 
the  three  hundred  and  eighty-two  vessels 


VII 


INDIAN    NOTES 


HEYE CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


CHIPPED   STONE   KNIFE  (a)   AND   SLATE   PENDANT  (&) 


NON-MORTUARY    JARS 


35 


not  associated  with  human  remains,  two 
hundred  and  thirty-five  are  wide-mouth 
jars,    while    one    hundred    and    forty-one 


Fig.  19- — Height  lo  in. 

are  of  the  small-neck  class,  and  two  have 
double  necks.  As  mentioned,  only  four 
bowls  were  recovered. 


AND    MONOGRAPHS 


36 


VII 


CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  MORTUARY  JARS 

Besides  the  calcined  human  bones  con- 
tained in  the  eighty- two  mortuary  jars, 
other  objects,  more  or  less  disintegrated 
by  fire,  were  found  in  sixty-nine  of  them. 
These  consist  of  the  following: 


Fig.  20. — Pipes. 


Length:  a,  4^  in.;  h,  zl4  in. 
8M  in. 


Pottery  Objects. — (i)  Three  forms  of 
pottery  pipes,  namely,  the  plain  tubular 
(pi.  X,  a\  figs.  20,  c,  and  21,  5);  the 
tubular  with  a  projection  perforated  for 
suspension  (pi.  X,  &;  fig.  20,  a,  b;  21,  a, 
and  22,  a);  and  an  elbow  pipe  with  a 
very  small  mouthpiece  (pi.  xi).     One  of 


INDIAN  NOTES 


ir^i'llifiiteiiMiiiTiii 


f- 


CONTENTS    OF    JARS 


37 


the  latter  (pi.  xi,  b)  has  an  incised  decora- 
tion made  with  a  pointed  bone  or  stick. 
(2)  A  small  jar  (pi.  xii,  c),  perforated 
for  suspension,  of  the  type  used  to  hang 
on  the  necks  of  funeral  images/  although 
it  may  have  served  as  a  toy. 


Fig.  21. — Pipes.     Length:  a,  7  in.;  b,  sH  in. 

(3)  Two  miniature  bowls  of  thick 
earthenware,  one  of  which  is  shown  in 
fig.  23,  b. 

(4)  A  fragment  of  a  perforated  red 
pottery  object  resembling  a  bird's  head 
(fig.  23,  a). 

(5)  Various  small   potsherds,   some  of 


AND    MONOGRAPHS 


38 


CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


which    are    undoubtedly    fragments    of 
pieces  used  as  covers. 

Stone  Objects. — Arrowshaft  straight- 
eners  (pi.  xiii)  were  found  in  five  dif- 
ferent jars;    they  are  all  of  steatite,  and 


Fig.  22. — Pipes.     Length  6  in. 

are  of  the  type  common  to  San  Diego 
county,  although  the  one  perforated  at 
the  end  (a)  is  rather  unusual. 

More    than    half    the    jars    contained 
arrowpoints  of  obsidian,  white  quartz,  or 


VII 


INDIAN    NOTES 


HEYE CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


OBJECTS  OF  SHELL 
(Height:  a,  3i^6  in.;  b,  3^  in.) 


STONE    OBJECTS 

39 

chalcedony,     nearly     all     with     serrated 
edges  (pi.  xiv).     One  of  the  points,  that 
shown  in  pi.  xv,  h,  has  the  appearance  of 
having  been  subjected   to   the  action  of 
fire  after  being  made,   but  Prof.   Bailey 
Willis,   of   Leland   Stanford   Junior   Uni- 
versity, pronounces  it  to  be  of  pumice. 

b 

Fig.  23. — Bird's  head  and  diminutive  jar.     a,  ij^  in. 
long;  b,  i}4  in.  high. 

A  chipped  stone  knife-blade  (pi.  xvi,  a) 
was  the  only  specimen  of  this  kind  re- 
covered. 

A  pendant  of  slate,  with  an  incised 
zigzag  decoration  on  both  sides  and  a 
double  perforation  at  one  end  (pi.  xvi,  h), 
was  found  in  the  same  jar  as  the  knife. 
Another    pendant,,    of    steatite,    crudely 

AND    MONOGRAPHS 

1 

40 


CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


made  and  slightly  notched  at  both  ends 
(pi.  XII,  b),  was  found  in  another  jar. 
Three    small    rubbing    stones    of    the 


«  b 

Fig.  24. — Height:  a,  3J4  in.;  b,  4%  in. 

native  granite,  all  found  in  the  same  olla, 
are  illustrated  in  fig.  25. 

Paint  stones,  both  entire  and   in  frag- 
ments,    were     fairly     numerous      Plate 


VII 


INDIAN    NOTES 


# 


-"^^M' 


STONE    OBJECTS 

41 

XVII,  a,  represents  one  of  a  soft,  clay-like 
substance  impregnated  with  iron;    h  and 
c  illustrate  those  of  a  material  resembling 
gilsonite;    d  is  of  graphite;    and  e  and  /, 
of  red  oxide  of  iron. 

Only  one  stone  pipe  was  found  in  the 
nlortuary    ollas;     this    is    of    steatite,    of 

\    -     _ h 

Fig.  25.— Height  of  a,  i\l  in. 

the  short,  tubular  type  (pi.  x,  c),  with  a 
groove  around  one  end  for  the  attachment 
of  a   bone   mouthpiece  with  asphaltum. 
This  type  of  pipe  is  not  uncommon  to 
the    Channel    islands    off    the    coast    of 
California. 

Two  fragments  of  rubbing  or  smoothing 

AND    MONOGRAPHS 

1 

42 

CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 

stones  of  pumice  (pi.  xv,  a,  c)  were  also 
found.  Each  of  the  three  objects  of 
pumice,  including  the  arrowpoint  above  ^ 
mentioned,  was  found  in  a  separate  jar. 

The  two  stones  showing  use  as  ham- 
mers, illustrated  in  fig.  24,  were  the  only 
objects  of  the  kind  among  the  contents 
of  the  mortuary  jars. 

Objects  of  Shell. — Owing  to  the  action 
of  fire,  most  of  the  artifacts  of  shell,  if 
there  were  any,  had  disappeared.  The 
principal  objects  of  this  material  re- 
covered are  two  pendants  of  haliotis  shell, 
one  rectangular  in  form,  i}/^  in.  by  1% 
in.,  with  a  perforation  at  one  side,  and 
the  other  heart-shaped,  4^  in.  long  by 
3^  in.  wide,  with  two  perforations  at 
the  center  of  the  broad  end.  One  large 
key-hole  limpet  shell  shows  no  artificial 
modification,  but  as  such  shells  were  used 
as  pendants  by  the  Indians  of  southern 
California,  it  is  possible  that  this  one 
had  been  thus  utilized,  thereby  account- 
ing for  its  presence  in  a  mortuary  jar. 

A  fragment  of  a  large  shell  object  that 
exhibits  working  on  one  side  is  shown  in 

VII 

INDIAN    NOTES 

SHELL    AND    BONE 

43 

pi.  XVIII,  a,  but  unfortunately  it  is  not 
sufficient  to  enable  determination  of  its 
original  shape.  Shell  beads  were  found 
in  profusion,  most  of  them  being  of  the 
small  disc  form,  while  numerous  others 
are  made  from  entire  olivella  shells  or 
from  parts  of  them. 

Objects  of  Bone. — Aside  from  the  human 
bones,  which  were  always  found  broken 
into  very  small  pieces,  only  two  objects 
of  bone  or  of  antler  were  recovered, 
namely,  a  fragment  of  a  bone  awl  with 
traces  of  an  incised  decoration  on  both 
sides  (pi.  XVII,  &),  and  a  drilled  fragment 
of  an  antler  tip,  smoothed  on  the  outside, 
probably  part  of  a  tool  handle. 

Intrusive  Articles. — The  majority  of 
articles  of  Caucasian  manufacture  found 
in  the  mortuary  jars  are  of  metal,  and 
especially  of  iron.  Among  these  are 
eleven  knife-blades  of  the  type  shown  in 
pi.  XIX,  a,  probably  originally  table 
knives,  also  a  portion  of  the  handle  of  a 
pair  of  scissors,  a  lock  escutcheon,  and 
the  end  of  a  key.  The  objects  of  brass, 
shown   in   pi.   XX,    consist   of  a   religious 

AND    MONOGRAPHS 

1 

44 

CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 

token,  an  openwork  pendant,  a  bell,  a 
ring,  a  buckle  with  an  iron  tongue,  and 
three  buttons. 

Four  pieces  of  crockery  ware,  illus- 
trated in  pi.  XXI,  were  among  the  con- 
tents of  the  jars.  One  of  these  (a)  is  a 
pendant  made  from  the  base  of  a  pottery 
vessel,  one  a  disc  with  a  central  perfora- 
tion (b),  and  another  a  bird's  head  (c), 
smoothed  on  the  base,  where  it  was  bro- 
ken from  the  original  object.  Unfor- 
tunately the  action  of  lire  has  fused  these 
three  specimens  to  such  a  degree  that  it 
is  impossible  to  determine  the  kind  of 
ware  of  which  they  are  made.  A  pendant 
fashioned  by  drilling  a  hole  in  the  circular 
base  of  what  was  probably  a  goblet-like 
vessel  of  copper-colored  Spanish  luster 
ware,  is  figured  in  d  of  the  same  plate. 

Many  glass  beads  were  recovered  from 
the  urns,  but  most  of  them  are  fused  by 
the  action  of  heat.  With  three  excep- 
tions, all  of  them  are  small.  Of  these 
three,  one  is  blue  and  one  opalescent, 
both  of  the  flattened  globular  type;  and 
another  a  large,  faceted  bead  of  the  famil- 

VII 

INDIAN    NOTES 

INTRUSIVE    OBJECTS 

45 

iar  type  used  for  trade  by  the  Hudson's 
Bay   Company.      In   one   jar   was   found 
three  pieces  of  what  appears  to  have  been 
a  glass  bottle  stopper,  but  it  is  too  frag- 
mentary to  determine  whether  it  had  been 
worked  in  any  manner  by  its  aboriginal 
owner. 

CONTENTS     OF     JARS     OTHER     THAN 
MORTUARY 

Of  the  large  number  of  jars  other  than 
mortuary,  objects  were  found  in  only 
two  of  them,  both  recovered  from  caves. 
In  one,  fragments  of  a  net  made  of 
yucca  fiber,  probably  the  remains  of  a 
rabbit  net,  together  with  some  cord  of 
the  same  material,  were  found. 

The  tubular  pipe  shown  in  fig.  22,  c, 
was  taken  from  a  small  cooking  jar.  The 
tobacco  end  is  cracked,  but  is  neatly 
bound  with  sinew. 

For  a  long  time  it  was  supposed  by 
students  that  the  California  Indians  had 
no    knowledge    of    pottery    making,    but 
investigations  made  during  recent  years 

AND    MONOGRAPHS 

1 

46 


CALIFORNIA    POTTERY 


show  that,  in  southern  California,  at 
least,  some  of  the  Mission  Indian  women 
were  rather  adept  potters,  and  indeed 
the  art  has  not  yet  become  extinct  among 
them. 

BIBLIOGRAPHIC    NOTES 

1.  Dubois,     Constance     Goddard.     Diegueno 

Mortuary  Ollas.  American  Anthropologist, 
vol.  IX,  no.  3,  p.  484,  Lancaster,  July-Sept., 
1907. 

2.  Dubois.     Religion    of    the    Luisefio    Indians. 

Univtrsity  of  California  Publications  in 
American  Archaeology  and  Ethnology,  vol. 
viii,  no.  3,  p.  168,  Berkeley,  June  27,  1908. 

3.  BoscANA,  Fr.  Geronimo.     Chinigchinich.    In 

Robinson,  A.,  Life  in  California,  p.  314, 
New  York,  1846. 

4.  Davis,  Edward  H.     The  Diegueno  Ceremony 

of  the  Death- 1  mages.  Contributions  from 
the  Museum,  of  the  American  Indian,  Heye 
Foundation,  vol.  v,  no.  2,  1919. 

5.  Dubois.     Diegueno  Mortuary  Ollas,  op.  cit., 

p.  485. 

6.  Sparkman,    p.    S.     Culture    of    the    Luisefio 

Indians,  University  of  California  Publica- 
tions in  American  Archaeology  and  Eth- 
nology, vol.  viii,  no.  4,  p.  201,  Berkeley, 
1908. 

7.  Davts.     Op.  cit. 


VII 


INDIAN    NOTES 


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